Dallas CASA Honors Beverly Levy for 20 Years of Service!

Dallas CASA honored Executive Director and President Beverly Levy for her 20 years of service to abused and neglected children with a surprise luncheon on Jan. 18. Government officials and dignitaries, local corporate, foundation and organization leaders, CASA volunteer advocates, CASA Board of Directors and staff, friends and family gathered at The Rees-Jones Training Center to celebrate Levy’s unparalleled leadership and dedicated commitment to changing the lives of abused and neglected children in our community.

Dallas CASA staff—Tara Rao, Cindy Warner, Lynn Brooks, Beverly Levy, Ben Wilkins, Sharon Balaban, Mary Timmons

A passionate advocate for the right of all children to be safe, Levy has worked tirelessly and courageously on behalf of justice for children. Levy’s dedication and vision have developed Dallas CASA, the third oldest of nearly 1,000 CASA agencies in the nation, into a model program for others and a critical part of the child welfare system in Dallas.

“Beverly has built Dallas CASA into one of the best agencies of its kind in the United States, not only improving the lives of thousands of children, but also improving the lives of the volunteers, employees and directors who serve alongside her at Dallas CASA,” said Mark Berg, Chairman of the Dallas CASA Board of Directors.

Since her arrival at Dallas CASA twenty years ago, the agency has grown under Levy’s leadership from a staff of seven with 90 volunteer advocates serving 250 abused and neglected children in Dallas County, to a staff of 50 with 646 advocates serving 1,753 children in 2012. To make that possible, Levy has worked tirelessly to spread awareness about the issues facing child victims, enlisted community support and funding from a variety of generous individuals, corporations and foundations and overseen the launch of numerous special events to raise additional funds.

National CASA CEO Michael Piraino, Beverly Levy, Dallas County Commissioner Mike Cantrell, Dallas County staff Traci Enna

During her tenure at CASA, Levy has implemented a variety of collaborative strategies that have contributed to making the community a better and safer place for children to live.  Among her other accomplishments, Levy facilitates the monthly judges update luncheon, gathering those involved in the juvenile court process to collaboratively effect change and help provide more positive outcomes for abused children. In 2011, Levy was named as the National CASA Outstanding CASA Program Director of the Year, and last year, Levy received the women’s Advocacy Award for Nonprofit Executives from Legal Aid of Northwest Texas.

With an eye to the future, Levy and the CASA Board of Directors, are working to engage greater support from major donors, corporations and foundations to help expand Dallas CASA service to abused children in Dallas County, striving for a day when every abused and neglected child in foster care has a powerful voice in the court and the community.